I Am Van Hohenheim
by MangaMaid4545
Summary: Van Hohenheim's thoughts from the point he met Homunculus/Dwarf in the Flask to right after the fall of Xerxes.


Manga Maid's Notes: Okay! This is just another short story thingie that came into my head while watching FMA: Brotherhood episode 40. So I wrote it down. I do still plan to update to those of you who read my other stories! This little thing wouldn't leave me alone however. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't belong to me. Neither does Brotherhood. Enough said.

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I am Van Hohenheim, a slave with a name. Originally, I was Number 23, but now I have a name. I got my name from this thing my Master created, the Dwarf who lives in the Flask. He says I'm not smart. I may not be able to read or write, but what does that prove anyway? You don't need to read or write to prove you're smart. I'm plenty smart without it, unlike some slaves in the house who need a reminder every ten minutes or a whip to tell them to do their work. The only reason I want to learn to read and write is because one day it could grant me freedom to do all kinds of things like get married and have a family. The Dwarf in the Flask, or Homunculus as he calls himself, says he can give me all kinds of knowledge, including how to read and write. So, I'll trust the Dwarf in the Flask and see how it goes.

I am Van Hohenheim, an assistant to my Master. I'm not a slave anymore. Not since the Master discovered that I had more knowledge and skills than the other slaves. Things that could be an asset to him. So he freed me and made me his assistant. I'm grateful for that, especially to my friend, Homunculus, the Dwarf in the Flask. Without him, I could never have escaped being a slave. But now, I'm a free man, learning under two great teachers. I have opportunities that usually would have never been possible for someone who was born in my original standing. Every day after the work is done, Homunculus and I watch the sunset and talk. Today though, the King has requested Homunculus to be brought to him tomorrow and I can't help but feel uneasy. It's like something sinister is crawling up my spine. Homuculus says there's no need to worry. He's probably right.

I am Van Hohenheim, an alchemist in my own right now. I now serve the King, but I believe that is because Homunculus said something to him or my old master to persuade them. I carry Homunculus's flask everywhere now and we talk as we once did. As of late, we've been talking about the massacres of villages on the outskirts of Xerxes. So far, two of them, the North and the West have been wiped out and everyone in Xerxes is becoming uneasy. When I speak of the awful tragedies with Homunculus, I get the distinct impression that he's hiding something. That bothers me since before he went to see the King, he never seemed to hide anything from me. But then again, he has vast knowledge and probably has many secrets within that knowledge, some of which I'm sure he doesn't share with me.

I am Van Hohenheim, a man who has the privilege of watching his King receive immortality. I found out the awful truth on how the King has created his transmutation circle, but I have been told that this was done in the name of science. Although it doesn't exactly sit well with me, I can't argue there. If one could achieve immortality, then perhaps many lives could be saved. … Something's gone wrong, everyone in the room is falling to their deaths. I don't understand it. Homunculus must know something. He tells me that _he _is the one who has opened the door and that we are in the center of the circle. As he finishes that, we begin to sink into the ground and pain begins to envelop me. How could Homunculus do such a thing? I scream in horror as the pain climbs up my body until I feel nothing anymore.

I am Van Hohenheim, the man turned Philosopher's Stone. One of only two survivors of the fall of Xerxes, both who now wear the same face. However, I am the only one of the two who feels guilt for the murders of that night and hears the screams of the lost souls within me in every waking moment and my nightmares. But now, instead of being able to die and escape it, I am to be tormented by those screams for all eternity. Never again shall I have my mind and body to myself and my peace of mind has all but shattered. The worst part? After all I've done, all the knowledge, hard work, and effort to free myself from the class I was born into, I am a slave once again. And these are chains can never be unshackled, chains that bind my very soul in unending grief and regret. And why? All because I trusted the Dwarf in the Flask.

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Ending comments: Okay! So that's my little story thingie for Van Hohenheim. I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading and please review!


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